My 93lx 2.3L never gets hot enough in the winter (central Illinois) for the heater to work. i freeze on my way to work every morning. Even in the summer time it never really gets beyond half way hot on the guage. I have replaced the thermostat several times with a motorcraft and a duralast thermostat and the problem still exsists. It acts as if the thermostat is stuck open. Is this just normal for these small engines? Does anybody else have this problem?
15 miles one way. I have flushed the heater core before. I can't image the lines going to the heater core would be clogged. Is there any electronicly controlled valve on this system?
I have the same 93 with 2.3L and the engine temp never gets warm. Thus, no heat. I have changed the thermostat. The only time I have ever been able to get the operating temp up was to idle the car for almost 30 minutes. I need help!
I have the same 93 with 2.3L and the engine temp never gets warm. Thus, no heat. I have changed the thermostat. The only time I have ever been able to get the operating temp up was to idle the car for almost 30 minutes. I need help!
Brian
Gents gents gents. i remember when i had this problem. the solution i used is simple... less coolant.
The poor car doesnt make enough heat to counter the cooling properties of the cold air and radiator, so i use a half full radiator of coolent. simple really. and no side effects if u just check it like u supposed to...every time u fill up the tank with gas.
another solution i tried but evenually stopped using was to block half the radiator with cardboard. while temporary and crude it worked because not as much cold air passed through the fins to cool the water.
my car sits at 130 all the time, its not the greatest heat but what do u expect from 4 cylinders. now my dads 150, the 5.0 in that heats way up real fast, but thats more than twice the displacement, and twice the cylinders, and a radiator thats not twice the size....
but try those ideas. lemme know if they work for u.
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As you may have guessed- I'm a young gun with dreams of pimpin' my baby 2.3n/a into a fire-breathin Shadow Runner.
so far:
1987 hatchback mustang
2.3L, replaced to a '89
Air silencer removed
t-5 all the way
1400 watt sound system w/ twin 12" chrome subs
-The shadow runner was a legendary chinese horse that could outrun its own shadow[/size]
Running the radiator half-full of coolant can cause problems if you have an automatic transmission.
The transmission fluid cooler is a coiled tube inside one of the coolant tanks in the radiator, and is designed to be submerged in the coolant to properly cool the transmission, leaving part of it exposed to air is a bad idea, to say the least, even in cold weather, because air doesn't transfer heat as well as liquid does.
Blocking part of the radiator with a sheet of cardboard is an oldie but goodie, tried and true, really does work, and can be done with a simple side out of a box and a handful of zip ties.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
hey i've had the same problem before and from what replies i've read it's real common.here's how i fixed mine.where the water neck bolts to the block there is two hoses one to the radiator one to the heater core when you unbolt it to replace the themostat look at the inside.my thermostat sat in the neck between the hoses.what was happening in my case was the water was going through the heater core,back to the radiator and then back to the engine before the themostat would ever open.you'll need a bigger themostat to close of the hole so water will not circulate before the engine heats up.now here's the crazy part i'm a exchevy man and i'm part pac-rat.while i was trying to fix mine i noticed the hose one the neck i tried everything you've read and finally i noticed the opening in the head was big enough for a thermostat from a small block chevy and the neck would cover it .water could not circulate until the thermostat opened.who would have guessed a chevy part could fix a ford.the thermostat was a 195 degree for a 350 chevy.try it on yours it worked on mine.
all small block chevy thermostats are the same but just in case get one for a 1984 chevy truck with a 350.use your neck just make sure to use some permatex to make sure it seals off good.you may want to let it set for a whileto make sure it seals
Thanks for the advise. I had never thought of running the radiator at less than full. I guess my first thought was that this would lead to air pockets and issues with that. The thought of blocking off part of the radiator makes good sense, I may try that. And I had not thought of putting a different thermostat in the 2.3L. If any of you 2.3 owners try any of these and they work, please post this on the board! Thanks!
Stant Part # 13009 is the part number for a 195 degree thermostat for a small-block Chevy (also fits some Ford, Chrysler, and AMC engines) 13008 for 180 degree, 13007 for 170, 13006 for 160. (still remember that from my counter-jockeying days, lol)
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
hey i've had the same problem before and from what replies i've read it's real common.here's how i fixed mine.where the water neck bolts to the block there is two hoses one to the radiator one to the heater core when you unbolt it to replace the themostat look at the inside.my thermostat sat in the neck between the hoses.what was happening in my case was the water was going through the heater core,back to the radiator and then back to the engine before the themostat would ever open.you'll need a bigger themostat to close of the hole so water will not circulate before the engine heats up.now here's the crazy part i'm a exchevy man and i'm part pac-rat.while i was trying to fix mine i noticed the hose one the neck i tried everything you've read and finally i noticed the opening in the head was big enough for a thermostat from a small block chevy and the neck would cover it .water could not circulate until the thermostat opened.who would have guessed a chevy part could fix a ford.the thermostat was a 195 degree for a 350 chevy.try it on yours it worked on mine.
Thanks for the info, will have to try the chevy thermostat. My 2.3 wont heat up either. I definately dont like the low coolant idea and the cardboard works until you get into stopped traffic and then it really heats up to much.
Let me make sure I understand this, B&W. You just buy a 195 degree thermostat for a small block chevy and install it instead of the 2.3L ford thermostat? If that is the case, what an ez fix. I will wait for your reply before buying on. Thanks. Brian.
the factory thermostat sits into the neck allowing water to go through the heater core and back into the radiator before the thermostat opens(ford should have used a heater valve like explores have).using a large diameter thermostat will keep the water in the engine until the themostat opens.no circulation means engine get warm,warm good,cold bad,try it,whats it cost $4.00 and about 30 minutes,it's the only thing that worked for mine.
heater taking forever to warm up 
